Dodgers Bullpen Falters, Sheehan’s Great Start Wasted in Loss to Cubs

Emmet Sheehan’s night began with a minor setback—a PitchCom issue—but it quickly transformed into a showcase of his pitching prowess. The 26-year-old right-hander silenced the red-hot Chicago Cubs for much of the game, yet the Los Angeles Dodgers fell to a stunning 6-4 defeat at Dodger Stadium, largely due to a bullpen collapse.

“He did a great job,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts praised his starter. “It’s just unfortunate that we couldn’t get him a win. Because he pitched his tail off.” Sheehan, who entered the game with a 5.85 ERA, struck out seven of the first nine batters he faced, displaying remarkable control of his pitches.

Although Sheehan’s fastball velocity dipped from 95-96 mph to 92-93 mph in the fourth inning, he regained his strength later. He finished the night with 6 1/3 innings pitched, tying his career high with 10 strikeouts while allowing just four hits and one walk. However, his pristine performance was marred in the seventh inning when Alex Vesia, who replaced him after a Moises Ballesteros single, allowed two hits, one earned run on Sheehan’s record, and two more runs to cross the plate.

Blake Treinen took over in the eighth but quickly faced trouble, surrendering a solo home run to Alex Bregman, who was met with boos from the crowd throughout the game, tying the score at four. Tanner Scott then entered in the ninth, only to give up the decisive runs after Dansby Swanson launched a home run to left field.

Roberts defended his bullpen decisions post-game, stating, “I wouldn’t do anything different. We all gotta do our parts. Just tonight, we didn’t get it done.”

Offensively, the Dodgers initially struggled against Cubs righty Jameson Taillon. It wasn’t until Hyeseong Kim’s single in the third inning that they finally found their rhythm. Following Kim’s hit, Alex Freeland drew a walk, setting the stage for Will Smith, who delivered a powerful three-run home run to right field. The Dodgers added another run in the fourth on a single from Kim, but that would be their last score of the night.

Despite being seen as a formidable team, the Dodgers have been in a slump, now losing five of their last eight games, raising questions about their bullpen’s reliability. Kim, however, has been a bright spot, adding two hits against the Cubs to follow up on his two-hit performance against the Giants. He now has five hits, three RBIs, and two steals in his last four games.

On the other hand, Shohei Ohtani, the four-time MVP, seems to be struggling at the plate, extending his hitless streak. After going 0-for-9 in his last two games against San Francisco, he started this matchup against Chicago with another 0-for-3 performance. Ohtani looked uncomfortable at the plate, even losing his helmet during a swing and miss. However, Roberts noted, “there was a better effort” from his star slugger, acknowledging that while the results weren’t ideal, there was improvement.

The two teams will meet again at Dodger Stadium on Saturday at 4:15 p.m., with the Dodgers hoping to bounce back from this disappointing result.

Note: This recap is an independently written summary based on publicly available reporting.